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Thursday, 22 May 2014

Kingdom of Bhutan shares story on commitment to go 100% organic

The tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan
may be one of the smallest nations in the world, but its recent
decision to convert its agricultural production entirely to organic
could have enormous implications for agricultural practices around the
globe.

Traveling halfway across the world to speak at the Organic Trade Association's (OTA's) annual Policy Conference in Washington
today, the Bhutanese official who is overseeing the nation's transition
to organic told attendees at the OTA conference that converting to
organic agriculture is critical for Bhutan's future.

"Why organic is important for Bhutan is more about survival, sustainability," said Bhutan's National Organic Programme Coordinator Kesang Tshomo. "Bhutan
was carved out of the mountains…organic will help ensure that people
survive in the mountains and that we preserve our bio-diversity."

Bhutan
made headlines in 1971 when it implemented a new criteria for measuring
progress known as the Gross National Happiness, or GNH. Instead of
measuring the amount of goods and services produced by a country to
determine its success, Bhutan measures the spiritual, physical and environment health of its people and its land.

Then in 2012, Bhutan catapulted to the front page again when its government announced that the small landlocked kingdom nestled between China and India would become the first nation in the world to convert to 100 percent organic farming. While only around 3 percent of Bhutan's territory is actual farmland, an estimated 80 percent of Bhutan's 700,000 population makes its living off agriculture, as mostly small subsistence farmers. Bhutan's
major crops are maize and rice. It also grows wheat, barley, potatoes,
oranges, apples and other orchard crops. It produces such specialty
crops as rare varieties of mushrooms, which it exports to Japan.

Bhutan's
decision to transition to 100 percent organic was both practical and
philosophical. Because the terrain is mostly mountainous, the use of
chemicals has a strong impact on the country's water and environment.
The nation is one of the most bio-diverse areas on earth, and it has
long held conservation and good stewardship of the environment as a
national priority. Finally, a long-term goal is to improve the
livelihood of Bhutan's farmers, help them be more productive, and reduce Bhutan's food imports.

But even in a country as small as Bhutan, converting to total organic agriculture requires the commitment and investment of the government. To that end, Bhutan
has launched a region-by-region, crop-by-crop approach that other
nations interested in boosting their organic agricultural sectors are
watching. If it achieves its goal, Bhutan could set an example in how to successfully make organic a national and doable priority.

Tshomo's speech was part of a busy program offered here today by OTA at its annual Policy Conference.

Early in the day, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
(D-MI) was awarded OTA's Public Servant Award for her long commitment
to the organic industry. Stabenow praised the organic industry's success
in the U.S. market, and in the passage earlier this year of the farm
bill, in which the organic industry achieved all of its priorities.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
spoke to the conference, and said that it is important for the
Agriculture Department to take a role in helping to advance organic
agriculture. He said that rural America is struggling, and new
opportunities need to be explored, including transitioning to more
organic.

On
Thursday, OTA members will participate in Hill Visits to more than 130
congressional offices to advocate for policies that support the organic
industry and organic agriculture.

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for organic trade in the United States,
representing over 6,500 organic businesses across 49 states. Its
members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers'
associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers
and others. OTA's Board of Directors is democratically elected by its
members. OTA's mission is to promote and protect the growth of organic
trade to benefit the environment, farmers, the public and the economy.

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